I had to make this pun and ask the question if the GOP Elephant is GWB or Ronald Reagan. They’re all pretending that Reagan is there and GWB isn’t. In an earlier thread Kritter asked:
Dr. Estes- What do you make of the fact that the candidates brought up Reagan’s name 19 times, but barely mentioned George Bush’s name at all?
John McCain must have had an extra bowl of Wheaties. I’ve watched him in dozens of situations — he’s usually discursive and conversational — and his delivery has never been punchier. He was tough on Iraq, on Iran, said he would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, and kept vowing to veto pork.
Rudy Giuliani mentioned Ronald Reagan early and often, his great sense of optimism, and mentioned at every conceivable opportunity (and even some far-fetched ones) that he had reduced crime in New York.
Mitt Romney invoked Reagan nearly as often, as a president of strength, and with his gleaming hair looked like a leader from Hollywood’s old central casting. In fact, he almost looked too perfect.
The front-runners all started strong. Then they got to abortion.
AND:
One thing was striking: Until a final question about Bush, there were as many mentions of Imus (negatively invoked by Sam Brownback) as of George W. (McCain said he was working with the president on immigration). Reagan was invoked with almost religious fervor in his Simi Valley library, but not the incumbent. That spoke volumes.